Facts about King Arthur

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The legend of King Arthur has been around since at least the year 830 and is as popular today as it was then. With 200 surviving manuscripts written about this King, we have learned some interesting facts.

Fact 1: King Arthur had a nickname. It was ‘œThe one true King of the Britons.’

Fact 2: King Arthur did not meet his mother until after he was King.

Fact 3: He formed the Knights of the Round Table, a gallant group of medieval Knights who loyally served the King. The table was round instead of square or rectangular to imply that those seated at it were equals.

Fact 4: The Round Table was made by Merlin the Magician and given to the King Arthur and Queen Guinevere as a wedding present.

Fact 5: Sadly, Queen Guinevere cheated on King Arthur with Lancelot, one of the Knights of the Round Table.

Fact 6: His sword was named Excalibur, which he drew from a stone. Many had tried before him and failed.

Fact 7: The Knights were charged with finding the Holy Grail, the cup Jesus drank from at The Last Supper. Sir Galahad is said to be the only Knight to gaze upon the grail after which both he and the vessel were lifted up to heaven.

Fact 8: Mordred, King Arthur’s villainous nephew, was actually his son. Mordred defeated King Arthur in a final battle.

Fact 9: Although considered legend, many believe King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table were real, having lived in the 5th and 6th centuries.

Fact 10: King Arthur has been written about by literary masters such as Geoffrey of Monmouth in the 11th century, Sir Thomas Mallory in the 15th century, and more recently, the Victorian poet Alfred Lord Tennyson.

Fact 11:King Arthur, along with his wife, is said to be buried at Glastonbury Abbey in Glastonbury, England. How do we know? Because it says right on his tomb, “Here lies interred the famous King Arthur on the Isle of Avalon.”